Gone
by balfonheim
Summary: [Squffie] It hadn’t ever rained in Traverse Town. Not since the Heartless had come. But on that day, the world cried for a little girl’s broken heart.
1. Everybody's Fool

**a/n** I know, I know... it's been a long time since I last wrote. I was on hiatus, you might say. Anyway, I'm back with this new story that I've been thinking about for a month or so.

I want to dedicate this story to... four people. One, Deplora, who sat there and listened to me rant about my stupid muse. Two, Angel, who is the absolute greatest ever. Three, Ezzy, who is there, day after day, to listen to me complain. And four, Jess, because it is her birthday coming up! Happy 14th!

**disclaimer** (haven't done one of these for a while) The characters and places are property of SquarEnix and Disney. The lyrics in this chapter are from the song _Everybody's Fool _by Evanescence.

* * *

It hadn't ever rained in Traverse Town. Not since the Heartless had come. But on that day, the world cried for her daughter. It cried for a little girl's broken heart.

Squall had told Yuffie that he was brining back someone special. The trusting young ninja had believed the Gunblade wielder. Someone _special_ was an old friend who hadn't died when his home world had been overtaken by the Heartless.

There was no reason why Yuffie should not trust Squall. After all, they had been in an intimate relationship. The shinobi had given all of herself to the lion, confessing her love, passion, and devotion in that perfect way. She had assumed that his participation, his pleasure and love in those moments, mean that he felt the same as she did.

But she wasn't counting on Squall's lingering feelings for the woman he brought home.

* * *

Yuffie was excited when the scheduled day for Squall's return arrived on her calendar. Carefully, she applied a tiny amount of makeup and brushed out her short raven locks. She looked through her clothes for a moment, trying to decide what to wear. Finally, the shinobi decided on a green button-down and a short black skirt. 

The First District was a little crowded, and Yuffie pushed through the throngs of people, looking around for Squall. Instead, what caught her eye was the couple in the corner who were kissing each other fervently. Yuffie could only see the woman.

She was someone you kept in your memory, that was for sure. She had long, dark hair, and was of average height. Yuffie was envious at how the woman was curvy and gorgeous and Yuffie was ugly and thin. She began to feel self-conscious, but pushed the thought away. Squall loved her for who she was. He thought she was beautiful.

Yuffie waited around for half an hour, sitting on a bench. She had lost the couple in the crowd a while ago. Now, the ninja was waiting for Squall to step through those doors and sweep her off her feet. Surely, he would be just as elated to see her. The outward sign of affection would be enough to tell the world how much he loved her.

Finally, though, when the one-hour mark passed, she began to lose any hope that he might come back that day. _Maybe tomorrow,_ Yuffie thought. _Maybe he just got delayed._

"Umm... excuse me, miss? I'm looking for the Hotel and I was wondering if you could show me the way?" It was the young woman Yuffie had seen kissing the man. She was even prettier now, and the shinobi was almost green with envy. Then, she caught sight of the man who had been kissing her, at least she assumed so. He was looking the other way, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his belts crossed just so around his waist. Sure enough, Squall Leonhart stood there with this woman... Yuffie wanted to cry.

_It never was and never will be_

_Have you no shame?_

_Don't you see me?_

_And you know you've got everybody fooled._

__

Instead, she stood and shook the woman's hand, then passed her and went over to Squall. "Squall, you never said the 'special someone' was a woman! Welcome back..." Yuffie told him, pinching his arm hard, anger flashing in her eyes though her voice was as kind as could be.

"Ohhh! _You're_ Yuffie Kisaragi!" The woman said, grabbing the shinobi in a tight hug. "Squall has told me so much about you! I'm Rinoa, a... friend of his from Balamb Garden." Yuffie noticed the tender way she said 'friend' and wanted to bite the woman's head off. So... so Squall was cheating on her. He could forget her that easily?

"I'm sure your travel was long, you two must be tired. Come on, follow me, Rinoa. Squall, I'm sure you remember where the Hotel is." There wasn't a hint of bitterness in her dulcet voice, and she tried as hard as she could to hide her betrayal... her sadness, her anger...

The ninja led the two through the First District, pulling out her shuriken for the Second District and cautiously making her way to the Hotel. "There are still a lot of Heartless around. Wouldn't want either of you to get hurt." She accentuated the 'hurt' in such a way that it made the listener think she really did want them to get hurt. Which she probably did.

Entering the Hotel room, Yuffie went to the Green Room without even saying goodbye to Squall or Rinoa. She didn't want to talk to them. If he was so in love with her, then he could just forget about Yuffie. Forget all about her; she didn't really matter much anyway.

But, sure enough, there was a knock on her door about an hour afterwards. Yuffie sat up and mumbled a quiet "come in" to the knocker before plopping back down on the bed, her back to the visitor. She heard the clatter of belts, and recognized her former lover immediately. Hastily, she wiped away the tears and sat up, forcing a smile onto her features.

"Squall... hi..." Yuffie said, a hurt edge creeping into her tone. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Do you like her, Yuffie? She was my first love... back before the Heartless we were planning a life together. You think... you think maybe we'd still have a future together?" Squall asked, dropping all pretenses of coldness and coming right to the topic of interest.

Yuffie wanted to strangle him, shouting, "I HATE HER! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LOVE ME!" Instead, she looked at the floor, twisting a lock of hair between her fingers. _Cool it, Yuf. It's okay... you'll be alright..._

"I think... I think..." her voice was tight and squeaky, unwilling to come out of its own volition. "If you two love each other, and you really want to make a go of it... you can do anything you want to. Squall, your happiness means the most to me. So, if that's what you want, then..." a few tears slipped from her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away, "...then you should go for it."

Squall nodded, a smile gracing his handsome features. Yuffie felt a door slam shut in her heart, like the ending of an era. Why? Why did heartbreak hurt so much? Why did Squall have to love another woman? Why wasn't Yuffie good enough for him?

Like a boy in love - his feelings confused, but at the moment full of joy – Squall wrapped his arms around Yuffie in a brotherly hug. Yuffie's indigo eyes widened, and she pushed him away roughly. "Stop it, Squall," she whispered, almost inaudible. He had heard it, however. His body became rigid, and his smile disappeared.

"I want you to be happy for me, Yuffie. Please. I need that much," he told her coldly before exiting the room. Yuffie lay down on the bed, sobs wracking her petite frame.

* * *

The next day, Yuffie had been roped into giving Rinoa the grand tour of Traverse Town with Squall along for the ride. It wasn't as if Squall had been gone too long and that he didn't remember the layout of the world. He probably wanted it to be a sort of bonding experience for the two young women, one whom he clearly considered as _nothing_ and the other as his whole world. To Yuffie, his thinking was completely mixed up. 

Yuffie sat on a bench, fiddling with the strap of her tank top. It was early morning, so there weren't many people out and about. She was grateful for this. The shinobi wasn't feeling too well and her face was still blotchy from the tears she had shed later the past night after Squall had asked her to show them around.

Yuffie stood at attention when she saw the couple coming towards her. Squall was nuzzling Rinoa's neck, and she had a euphoric expression on her face. "I hate you, Rinoa," she sighed softly into the slight breeze blowing past.

_Look, here she comes now _

_Bow down and stare in wonder_

_Oh, how we love you_

_No flaws when you're pretending_

"Hey Rinoa!" Yuffie called with forced cheerfulness. She couldn't bring herself to say Squall's name. It would make her dissolve into tears again, which she _did not_ want to do in front of the Gunblade wielder, or in front of his new flame. "You guys are a few minutes late! I was beginning to worry!" _That's a lie, Kisaragi,_ Yuffie thought, grinning all the while. _You were not worried one bit._

"Sorry, Yuffie. We were just... busy is all," Rinoa offered with a sly smile to Squall. Yuffie was absolutely sickened by it. She got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, and angrily pushed it away.

"Ah, that's fine," Yuffie said with a fake smile plastered on her lips. In truth, it was not fine, but she didn't want to give off the appearance of being concerned, jealous, or anything of the sort.

The shinobi grabbed Rinoa's hand in a tight grip. "Well, shall we go? There's a lot to see and not much time to see it in!" Yuffie pulled the young woman along down the alleys and streets, through the town. She showed her every nook and cranny, everything that she had explored with Squall and Aerith when she was younger.

Yuffie told Rinoa some of the stories about when she was younger, with Squall and Aerith; about when she protected Traverse with Squall at her side, how Aerith was their healer, Yuffie's confidant. The ninja told Rinoa a lot of tales, trying her hardest to show Rinoa how tight of a bond she had with Squall without bringing in the romantic aspect of their relationship. Maybe she could make the woman feel guilty about coming between Squall and Yuffie.

The group got to the First District and was standing on the steps; Yuffie laughed when she thought of what had happened here. Rinoa looked at her, slightly puzzled, and Yuffie was sure Squall would be thoroughly embarrassed.

"The day Sora came here was the first day in a while that Squall was almost beaten. Oh, it was priceless. After he had knocked the kid out, he told me that he was going easy on him. Yeah right, Squall! I mean, you were really tired out by that. I thought it was hilarious... you wanted me to shut up." Yuffie laughed loudly, and Rinoa giggled, glancing back at the lion.

Squall cracked a smile at Rinoa. "I guess it was sort of funny. Sora was strong even then, and I wasn't in my best shape." Yuffie's mouth was agape, the shinobi absolutely amazed that Squall would ever admit to that.

_He never admitted anything to me, _Yuffie thought, hurt inside. _He never ever saw that what he had done was wrong, and he never laughed at himself. Squall was not a person to show that he had weakness. So why now?_

_Rinoa. That's why._

* * *

_Maybe he was acting... maybe he didn't really mean it when he said he loved Rinoa,_ Yuffie told herself later that evening. Rinoa had "retired" to hers and Squall's room for a respite. The shinobi took Squall's dinner down to him because he was training down in the Waterway. As she approached him, she heard his labored breathing, the clank of his belts, a few mumbled curses. 

"Squall?" Yuffie called, wanting to make sure that he knew she was coming.

"You can come, Yuffie," he replied, a sigh echoing through the cavern when he sat down. The ninja set out his spread in front of him, handing him a fresh, clean towel to wipe his face with.

"Why the increased vigor?" Yuffie inquired after Squall had been able to eat a little bit of food. When they had trained together, it had been much different.

"To protect Rinoa, Yuffs. Because I love her," he told her.

_Well that blows my theory out of the water,_ Yuffie thought sadly. Aloud, she said, "Well, isn't this sort of sudden? I mean... we never officially broke up... not really. You just brought her here and I accepted it. I want..." she shook her head, "I don't know what I want. Just explain this for me. Y-you said you loved me," Yuffie whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. Quickly, she shinobi turned away from the lion.

"Yuffie," Squall replied wearily, "I was mixed up at that time. You know as well as I do that I was still having a hard time dealing with the fact that I could not protect those I loved back on my home planet. You were... you were comforting when I needed it. It was nothing more than physical attraction, Yuffie. You freely gave yourself to me, and I took. We were both wrong."

"I wasn't wrong!" Yuffie shrieked, anger bubbling inside. "I gave you all of myself because I honestly thought you loved me. I'm not stupid, Squall, and I never was. You said you loved me; you kissed me... you wanted me back then. And you know what? I trusted you, and, like the little innocent that I was, I believed you whole-heartedly."

"I never meant it like that, Yuffie." Squall's voice had taken on a frigid quality. "You misinterpreted the signs. What happened between us was sex, never love. It was never love to me."

"How can you listen to yourself say this? How can you _lie_ like this? You loved me! You did! I know you, Squall. You still love me too."

"No Yuffie," Squall deadpanned. "I never loved you. And I never will."

It was at that point that Yuffie was so hurt that she angrily threw one of her throwing stars at him, creating a deep gash in his cheek. In the next instant, she was gone.

Yuffie ran through the pouring rain, needing to get far away from Squall. He was like a poison that could not be drawn from Yuffie's heart. Tears streaked down her cheeks. She paid no mind to the rain; it mirrored her soul. Sobbing, crying… always mourning. The shinobi hated where she was in life, hated what had happened to her.

"He's lying… he must be lying… I love him…" Yuffie mumbled to herself as she ran.

_Without the mask_

_Where will you hide?_

_Can't find yourself_

_Lost in your lies_

__

Finally, the young ninja made her way up to the Bell Tower, looking out over the Second District of Traverse. Puddles began forming on the paths in the square, and everyone running for their homes. The storm was sudden and violent, torrents of rain slashing across the buildings and drenching the town in cold water. Everyone was inside, watching the phenomenon.

Yuffie sat alone atop the tower, letting herself get soaked and chilled to the bone. She was numb anyway, and the rain soothed her. It cleared her thoughts and flooded her heart, filling her with the pleasing wetness of the world's tears. It mended over the hole in her heart, though the poison formerly known as Squall stayed locked away. Safe and sound, it boiled and ate at her soul.

The rain stopped after the drenching downpour, and children came out of their homes and danced in the puddles, their mothers chatting with one another about the event. Yuffie had just enough time to look down at the Hotel before Squall came out of it, his arm around Rinoa. They were close and seemed like any ordinary couple, cutely cuddling together after a storm. Yuffie's heart was filled with black thoughts.

Shivering, the shinobi glared at their retreating form. "How could he do this to me? How could he forget entirely about me and go with this woman? What happened during those weeks that he was away?" Yuffie asked the sky, which only patiently twinkled a star back at her.

"I don't love him… I can't love him…" Yuffie sought to purge her soul of Squall once and for all. And to do that, she had to get rid of the fantasy love that she harbored for him. Obviously it would never be returned. She had to give up hope before he destroyed her.

"Squall… you're a loser. A jerk. You used me, and then went right to the arms of another woman. You are a cold-blooded weasel. The happiest day of my life will be the day that I don't have to put up with you anymore." Yuffie began crying again, the words hard to say, some of them ringing true while others were falsehoods.

"I-I…" she choked on the sentence. "I do not love you anymore Squall. And I'm not sorry about it."

_I know the truth now_

_I know who you are_

_And I don't love you_

_Anymore_

Yuffie felt coldness engulf her soul. Her eyes lost their sparkle, and her hands fell limp at her sides. Tiredly, Yuffie trekked back to the Hotel to get her much-needed sleep.

* * *

**a/n** Review and I'll love you forever.


	2. Goodbye

**a/n** Thank you for all my reviews! This is a record for me for one chapter! I thank you all... your reviews were wonderful to me, especially after just coming out of my hiatus. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! I'll have one more after this one.

**disclaimer **I have never and will never own these characters or places. The song used is titled "Goodbye" and it is by Alicia Keys

* * *

"Really, Yuffie, why are you like this? Why are you being so distant?" The shinobi turned away from Squall, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. The lion gently dried her tears, peering into her indigo orbs. "I want to know, Yuffs," he told her, grabbing her by the shoulders to keep her from bolting. Yuffie was trembling.

"Squall... I... I'm crying because I know you can never possibly love me. But I love you too much. And..." Yuffie attempted to run, but Squall tightened his grip.

"Yuffs, why do you think that?" Squall inquired softly. The ninja began crying harder. Squall hugged her to him, patting her back. "Hey, hey... just tell me," he said in a soothing tone.

"I'm young, I'm skinny, I'm annoying, and I'm so ugly! I don't even like me!" Yuffie cried.

"Yuffie," the lion whispered, "I do love you." Tenderly, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her. "And I will never leave you."

* * *

Yuffie woke up shaking. Her dream had been a memory, the time when she had revealed her feelings to the Gunblade wielder, and he had promised her his love forever. Anger built up inside her small body, and she started punching a pillow on her bed. The shinobi let out a strangled cry, then collapsed into a lumpy mass of heartbroken girl. Though she had tired to convince herself that she no longer loved Squall, Yuffie knew that it was a lost cause. She would never stop loving him.

_But how do I let go when I've_

_Loved him for so long and I've_

_Given him all that I could_

Slowly, Yuffie got up out of bed and stretched her tired muscles. The young woman grabbed a fresh set of clothing out of her dresser, then went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, making the water unbearably hot. She undressed, and then stepped into the hot liquid, shuddering when it touched her bare skin.

_"Are you alright, Yuffie?" The young man asked the ten-year-old. She sniffed a few times, then nodded, accepting his outstretched hand._

_"I meant to do that," Yuffie informer her friend bravely, quickly drying her tears. Ninjas didn't cry, especially when they were with big, important, strong adults like Squall Leonhart. Or... _Leon.

_"Of course you did," Leon replied with a small smile on his lips. "The sidewalk just up and tripped you."_

_"That's right," the girl replied, oblivious to the fact that Leon was teasing her._

Yuffie turned off the water and stepped out of he shower. She took one towel and wrapped it around her head, then grabbed another towel and dried off her body. She dressed in a warm sweater and a pair of jeans, and then ventured outside of the bathroom after drying her hair.

The shinobi traveled outside, thrusting her hands deep in her pockets after stepping into the morning chill. She sauntered over to the fountain and watched as the water spilled over the detailed mosaics in the backdrop. The butterflies danced in the colors of the world, happy, carefree. Yuffie appreciated the mosaic for its beauty, but only saw skin deep. She did not wish to read the undertones of happiness.

_Maybe love is a hopeless crime_

_Giving up what seems your lifetime_

_What went wrong with something once so good_

Yuffie walked to the Gizmo Shop then, and climbed up the ladder to the Bell Tower. She always enjoyed her solace here, now that Rinoa and Squall were officially together. The location helped her hide from Squall, and hide from the realities that plagued her life.

Absent-mindedly, Yuffie tossed a stone over the ledge of the Bell Tower, and then watched as it fell to the hard ground below. She could not see it when it hit the pavement, but she was sure that it had smashed into many different pieces. The pieces probably scattered in all directions from the impact, tiny shards of rock that had once been a whole stone, now separated and destined to become dust on the pavement after feet continually walked over them.

Yuffie had an odd thought, then, and threw another stone over the ledge. This time, she thought of herself as the stone, wondering how it felt as it plummeted to the surface below. She was curious about what it was like to be broken and then stepped on, but she supposed it was an experience somewhat similar to what had been happening in her everyday life. But maybe it wasn't so obvious.

Was falling from a high tower more painful, then, than being smashed into shards by a man you loved? Yuffie thought about this, and then decided that it would only be a different kind of pain. Emotional pain was what Squall was giving her right now, heartaches because of what was happening to her. But physical pain would be what was experienced from the fall. Then she had another thought: would there be pain at all? The fall may just snap your spinal cord, and then it would be all over, no pain. Which would be better than standing around and suffering with Squall.

_But I'm not suicidal. I'm not. I wouldn't want to hurt myself like that. Especially not over Squall, _Yuffie convinced herself. Still though, she counted the steps from the bell string to the ledge, memorizing the pattern in the stones and the way the building's ledge just stopped, with empty space continuing on for it. The concept fascinated Yuffie, and she threw more stones over the side of the building, observing what was happening, when they hit the ground, how fast they were traveling.

_"Leon, what do you say to allowing me to fight off the Defenders by myself next time? I can handle them on my own! They aren't so difficult to beat, once you get the hang of it. And their attacks aren't even that painful. Come on! I can do it!"_

_Leon shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder, a warning glint in his sapphire eyes. "No, Yuffie. We both know that no one is going to take unnecessary risks with the Heartless. I don't want to lose you, Yuffie. You're everything to me."_

_Yuffie turned towards him and gave him a tight hug, and his arms squeezed her around her waist. "I can handle it though! We've been training and training and training, and all I get to fight on my own are those worthless shadows. And half the time, you decimate them for me! I'm going to grow flabby!"_

_Leon laughed. "Well then, that's why we train, so that you don't get 'flabby.' But, seriously Yuffie, I love you and I just want to protect you. I would never want anything bad to happen to you, Yuffs." He kissed her on the tip of her nose._

_"Okay... just checking."_

The ninja returned to her room at the Hotel, still thinking about all these things, new information mixing with old in her head until it was a jumbled mess of ideas and memories.

_Yuffie sat on the ledge of the Bell Tower, Squall next to her, sifting his hand through her ebony locks. The shinobi was content where she was, watching the stars with the man she loved. It was all so romantic. She had been living on a dream cloud for a long time now, and she wasn't sure if she ever wanted it to stop. It was hard to imagine an end to this type of paradise._

_"Do you ever think of Balamb, Leon? Do you think about your old friends when you were younger? Do you ever wish you could go back?" Yuffie inquired quietly, wondering what the answers to these questions would be. She was curious, as he didn't mention his home world much. It was a place of mystery to Yuffie, and she wanted to find out more about it._

_"Yes... I think about it a lot. I grew up there... was pulled away from all my best friends at your age. I had so many great friends there... Selphie, Zell, Rinoa... even Seifer in a way. I miss them all. They were all I had for many years. Until, that is, I found you, Yuffums." He hugged her, but he still seemed distant. There was a bit of silence between them._

_"But you didn't answer my last question. Do you ever wish that you could go back?" This question was important to Yuffie, and she needed to hear Squall's answer._

_"Yes," Squall whispered quietly. "Yes, I miss my old life. I love my new one, but... sometimes I just wish that I could have lived a normal life on Balamb without the Heartless."_

_"Oh," Yuffie replied simply. She was disappointed in his answer. Would he rather return to his old friends than stay here with her, his love? Which was more important to him? Yuffie hoped that he would never have to choose._

Angrily, Yuffie threw a shuriken at the wall. It stuck into the plaster, and Yuffie didn't even bother to go and get it. It could stay there forever, for all she cared. Let the Hotel staff take care of that. Yuffie didn't really feel like fixing the problem.

"Damn you, Squall," Yuffie whispered venomously. She heard Rinoa's falsetto laugh in the hallway, and cringed. It was a noise that already grated on the ears. Yuffie just wondered when they would leave and go back to their precious Balamb. Then, the shinobi could finally be rid of them.

Yuffie thought of her own home world. She didn't know much about it... the details were hazy and distant. She believed that it was called Wutai, and that both of her parents had lived with her until the Heartless came. She could distinctly remember the young man who would visit with her parents and always gave her candy. He was tall, dark, and handsome, with striking crimson eyes, and the young Yuffie was awfully impressionable. She couldn't quite remember his name, though.

_All I have are hazy memories... _Yuffie thought with a sigh. _I can never go back, and I will never get to see my parents again. _The ninja was envious of Squall, how he could just pick up with the people he left off with. Yuffie would never get to see anyone from Wutai ever again.

Angrily, Yuffie went out on the balcony and climbed up to the roof of the Hotel. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop across the Second District, and finally settled upon the roof of the shoe store. No one ever looked for her up here. It was the one place that was all hers.

"I have to let Squall go," Yuffie mused aloud, "but I don't know how. It's hard... especially when I still love him so much. Why can't I just forget about him?"

_Is this the end are you sure_

_How should you know when you've never been here before_

_It's so hard to just let go_

_When this is the one and only love I've ever known_

It was then that Yuffie knew what she had to do. Maybe insanity drove her to it, but... it was what she had to do to finally rid herself of this nightmare. And maybe it would make Squall think about where he went wrong.

* * *

Squall got back into his room, leaving Rinoa at the Accessory Shop to talk with Cid. Rinoa was sweet, but she could sure talk a lot. Squall was finding that it grated slightly on his nerves, not like Yuffie's hyper banter. Yuffie had been interesting to listen to... he could actually laugh around her. He banished those thoughts to his mind.

A flash of blue caught his eye, and he turned towards the table, where a small paper crane sat. Yuffie made origami a lot, and he saw that this was another Yuffie masterpiece. There was a note tucked safely underneath, and Squall gently lifted up the crane and pulled out the note.

"_Squall... meet me at the Bell Tower at 3:00. Please do not bring Rinoa. I need to talk to you."_

It wasn't signed, but Squall knew who had written it. He glanced up at the clock, and, seeing that it was 2:45, exited the Hotel to get to the Bell Tower. He wondered, along the way, what Yuffie wanted to talk about.

* * *

Yuffie swung her legs over the edge of the Bell Tower, and waited for Squall to come by. She had a stomachache, and was very nervous about what was going to happen. She tried to assure herself by throwing stones over the ledge again, watching their fall. _It'll all be okay, Yuffs._

_How do you find the words to say_

_To say goodbye_

_If your heart don't have the heart to say_

_To say goodbye_

"Yuffie," Squall said from behind her in his deep voice. Yuffie jumped, and turned around, finding herself looking at the bane of her existence, the love of her life... She took a deep, shuddering breath and stood up, unable to meet Squall's beautiful, piercing eyes.

"What did you wish to speak to me about?" He inquired softly, reaching a hand out to touch her arm and steady her. She slipped away from his hand, unwilling to feel his touch.

"I wanted to talk to you about our relationship... or what it was. What it used to be," Yuffie began. "Just hear me out," she told him when he began to protest. He nodded, and leaned against the far wall, gazing at her from under long russet locks of hair.

"Squall, it really hurt me when you brought Rinoa here. I mean... _really_ hurt me. How could you do that to me? That was a rotten thing to do and you know it! How do you think I feel after we were together for months, and then you suddenly show up with a new girl? Even if, as you said before, we were never in love, you should still feel some remorse for just dumping me like that. That was _awful _for me."

Squall didn't answer, just stared at her. Yuffie glared and continued. "And then you aren't even sorry, you don't apologize, you just make excuses for yourself. Which is a very cowardly thing to do, Squall. I never thought that you would be a coward, but I suppose I see it now."

Squall growled. "How is what I did cowardly? Yuffie, I didn't love you! I still loved Rinoa, and when I found her again, I was overjoyed. I was doing the easiest thing and just letting you go. I was trying not to hurt you so much."  
  
"BUT YOU DID! And finding the easiest route is so cowardly, Squall Leonhart. Don't deny it. You and I both know it. And by running, you hurt me _more._ How do you think I felt when you gave me no answer for getting rid of me? When I was just gone from your life like that... it made me feel like I had done something wrong. I know now that I didn't. You were the one who screwed up."

Squall stood up. "What did you want me to do, Yuffie? Come crawling back to you? I know that's what you _wanted_, but you can't always get what you want! When I saw Rinoa, I saw my old life, and I wanted her. Why can't you just accept my happiness, Yuffie? If you cared about me like you said you did, then you would want what's best for me!"

Yuffie stepped over to him and slapped his cheek. "You selfish bastard! You still think the world revolves around you. Well it doesn't! Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't revolve around you at all! You can't always think of yourself. And I will _never_ accept the fact that you chose Rinoa over me. How do you think it makes me feel?"

Squall didn't answer. Yuffie let tears slide down her cheeks. "Yeah, it makes me feel like crap," she whispered. "Because I really thought that you loved me. And then I find out that you didn't... it broke my heart, Squall. And everyday I see you and Rinoa together is another day that I end up asking myself what I did wrong."

"Yuffie," Squall began, reaching out for her. Yuffie stepped back. She was now very close to the ledge, one step away from falling like the stones had.

"No... don't even try to talk to me. You've broken my heart, and..." Yuffie was at a loss for words. Squall didn't attempt to get any closer. _How do I say this? What should I do? This is hard..._

_How do you find the words to say_

_To say goodbye_

_If your heart don't have the heart to say_

_To say goodbye_

"Squall... I love you..." Yuffie closed her eyes for a moment, then gazed straight into his sapphire orbs. "Goodbye."

Yuffie took a quick step backwards so that Squall could not grab her. The air rushed past her, and she fell with speed. Freedom from her troubles rushed through her veins, and she smiled slightly. No more Rinoa... no more Squall... it was all going to be okay. She imagined herself as one of the stones.

Falling... falling... falling... _falling._

* * *

**a/n** Review and I'll love you forever. 


	3. Some Kind of Miracle

**a/n** I think you guys will absolutely adore me after this chapter. Seriously. Thank you to Deplora for giving me an idea a LONG while back! And thanks to all the reviewers who have been waiting patiently for this! FINALLY, it is done!

**disclaimer** I don't own anything recognizable. The song is "Some Kind of Miracle" by Kelly Clarkson.

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Yuffie took a quick step backwards so that Squall could not grab her. The air rushed past her, and she fell with speed. Freedom from her troubles rushed through her veins, and she smiled slightly. No more Rinoa... no more Squall... it was all going to be okay. She imagined herself as one of the stones.

Falling... falling... falling... _falling._

But her plan was foiled. And there was one man who would be eternally grateful for that.

As luck would have it, the ducklings were passing by at that moment, delivering furniture to the Dalmatians' home in the Second District. Yuffie plummeted to the ground, but her fall was broken and slowed by a sofa. Squall heard wood shattering with a loud crack, and there was a piteous cry arising from the accident. He raced to the ladder and climbed down, hurrying towards the scene.

The ducklings were ogling over the ninja, and she was fairly screaming with her sobs. Squall ran to her and hacked at the sofa's frame with his Gunblade, the great wood further breaking. He pulled the pieces away from Yuffie. Her cries quieted somewhat when she saw him, but it was obvious that she was in pain. Great pain, by the expression on her face.

"Yuffie… Yuffie…" Squall breathed in relief; tears coming to his own eyes in shear joy for her life. "What hurts? What's wrong?" He asked her quickly, taking out a hi-potion from a small pouch at his waist. She turned her head and shuddered.

"Everything…" Yuffie cried. "I can't move my lower body at all, Squall…" great, swelling drops of salty tears spilled down her cheeks in torrents. "I was supposed to die."

Squall moved closer to her, positioning himself around her so that he could pick her up and get her to the hospital. "But you didn't. You stupid ninja that I love…" he murmured. "This is for your own good," he told her, then cuffed her on the side of her head pretty hard. She blacked out, and Squall thanked all the gods for her life. He picked up her body and ran.

Sure they were a spectacle. Yuffie was bloody, which transferred over to Squall. They looked battered, the ninja was broken, and the man had a wild look in his eyes. But no one messed with them. No one dared, for fear that the lion would kill them. He certainly seemed about ready to murder anyone who hindered their progress.

Squall rushed into the hospital Emergency Room entrance. The few nurses that lingered there took immediate action, getting a gurney and urging Squall to put the young woman on it. "What happened? How long ago? What's wrong with her?" Squall followed the four nurses down the hallways that they pushed Yuffie through.

"She fell from a very great height, but she landed on a sofa – luckily. It was just a few minutes ago… I got her here as soon as I possibly could. Before she lost consciousness, she told me that everything hurt and that she couldn't move her lower body at all."

A doctor had joined the group in their progress, and she looked at the nurse who had established himself as the leader. The doctor turned her head to Squall and shook her head. "She probably broke bones in her back, maybe legs, and perhaps her hip. She might be paralyzed for life. For now we're going to get her stabilized and send her for x-rays. Please go with Nurse Joy here and she'll take care of you."

A pretty young woman with dyed black hair appeared next to them and grabbed Squall's arm, pulling him down another hallway. She had long, digging black fingernails, and he followed her only so that he wasn't scratched.

"Will I see her soon?" Squall called back to the doctor and nurses. But no one answered him, and they disappeared from his sight.

* * *

The Gunblade wielder waited for hours in that cramped waiting room with other people. They were all sitting their, anticipating the time when someone would come out and fetch them to see their loved ones. Squall was no exception.

He didn't call Rinoa to tell her what happened.

The lion didn't know why he ever left Yuffie. Why he couldn't see that he needed her. It was a mystery to him, and he only hoped that Yuffie would recover. He wanted her to be safe and healthy, able to be her ninja self and run around crazy, jump from one building to another, fight the Heartless. He berated himself for being so stupid.

It was soon becoming later and later into the nighttime hours. Squall fought back the exhaustion that was so present in his body. He hadn't washed himself of Yuffie's blood yet either. It marked him in the sins that he had committed against her.

Squall walked up to the nurse – Nurse Joy's replacement only an hour ago – and demanded answers of her. She shook her head and sighed, obviously tired of the concerned people who pestered her with questions about the afflicted.

"Look, Mr. Leonhart, Miss Kisaragi is under the very capable hands of one of our best ER doctors. You'll just have to trust that she'll be alright. I guarantee that you will be the first one they tell when she is stable and they know what's wrong. There are some blankets in a basket on the side of the couch. Why don't you try sleeping, Mr. Leonhart? You look a fright." With that, the nurse turned back to what she had been doing before Squall had so _rudely_ interrupted her.

The man, feeling defeated, sat down in a chair and folded his arms across his knees, resting his head on his arms. _I'm sorry, Yuffie,_ he thought. _I am so sorry. Please recover, Yuffie. I don't want to have ruined your life._ He hoped that someone would come and tell him about Yuffie's status soon.

_Prayed for an angel  
__To come in the night  
__Turn some sweet light on me_  
_Found only strangers_

A woman shook Squall awake in the early hours of the morning with a gentle smile on her face. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and stood up. She stopped his questions by putting up her hand and nodding. She seemed slightly different from the others he had seen in this hospital. Not quite normal… not quite average. Almost inhuman. She seemed to glow with a light, but he put these thoughts in the back of his mind and attributed them to his lack of sleep. He trailed behind the woman through wide hallways and doctors and nurses walking quickly or discussing something among themselves. Squall and the woman walked through a huge pair of double doors into a quieter, calmer area.

One of the doors in the hall was opened, and Squall was ushered in. The woman left him there, walking back the way they had come. A nurse was making Yuffie comfortable on the bed, adjusting her position so that her lower-body cast wasn't any more irritating than it already was.

Yuffie's head turned tiredly when she heard the quiet click of the door closing. Her eyes widened significantly, and she immediately turned away. The nurse noticed this and raised her eyebrows, but said nothing. She departed from the room, leaving the pair in there alone.

"Yuffie…" Squall said quietly. He walked to her bedside and looked down at her. She didn't meet his gaze. He gently moved his hand down to touch at her cheek, wiping the tears away that had begun to flow.

"Yuffie… I am so sorry. I was an idiot and a jerk. I should have realized that you were right. I do love you, Yuffie. I love you more than anything in the world, and you scared me half to death. If you had died today… I think I would have taken my own life just to be with you. I told you I would never leave you. I just needed to be reminded of my promise." Yuffie remained silent, slowly breathing in and out. "Yuffie? Please say something…" Squall pleaded.

She turned her head around sharply. "Yeah, I'll say something. I'm still angry with you, you selfish jerk. You shouldn't have had to witness my near death to see how utterly wrong you were. You should have just known. It's going to take me a while to get over that, Squall."

"And what about Rinoa? I thought you loved her. You were certainly acting lovey-dovey enough whenever I saw you together. You slept with her; you were completely devoted to her. I was nothing to you when she was around. How do I know that when you see her again, I will fade into the background again?" Yuffie asked him harshly.

Squall sighed raggedly. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way Yuffie, and I'm sorry that I did those things. I may have loved her before, but I know that I was just grasping for my past. Yuffie, _you_ are the only person I need in my future. I need you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Kill yourself," Yuffie mumbled. "Now you know how I felt, Squall," she told him louder. "I can't lie to you… I do still love you. I said that before I fell, and I still feel that way about you. But… I need time to forgive you. I need to see that you really meant what you said. I need to trust that you'll never break my heart again, Squall."

"But I do love you."

_Just when I'd given up  
__You gave me love  
__My world was crumbling down  
__You turned it around_

Before Squall could answer her, the doctor her had seen earlier came in smiling at him and Yuffie. She brought a clipboard with her, and he assumed it held information about Yuffie's condition.

The doctor shook Squall's hand. "Good morning. My name is Dr. Grace Mendez, and I have been overseeing Miss Kisaragi's progress."

"Well, Miss Kisaragi was extremely fortunate in her fall. She could have become paralyzed, and at first we thought that might be the case. We weren't getting reflex response from her legs, which worried us. But it seems the problem corrected itself, and we can now say that you will be walking someday." Yuffie and Squall both breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Now, the bad news. Miss Kisaragi broke both legs in several places, along with her hip and bones in her lower back. She put some stress on the muscles in her upper body, but nothing there was broken. When those heal, you may have a permanent limp. We could perform surgery, but that's a long, painful process that you probably don't want to go through. The odds of your developing problems with your legs are quite high, but they should not pose serious health risks. It just means that you won't be running any marathons any time soon." The doctor smiled sympathetically, and Squall squeezed Yuffie's hand, which had found its way into his own.

"We'll keep you here for the rest of the morning, Miss Kisaragi. Then we can let you go home. Is this man your…?"

Squall filled in for her, "Boyfriend. We have a place in the Hotel."

Dr. Mendez nodded and smiled. "Will you be able to give her constant care? I'll prescribe a nurse to come around and check twice a week, but I can make that for every day if you can't stick around all the time…?"

The lion shook his head. "That won't be necessary – for a nurse to come around every day. I plan to be around twenty-four seven." This time Yuffie squeezed his hand, and he turned his head to see her smile at him. He had missed her smile.

Dr. Mendez wrote something down on her clipboard, then came forward and shook Squall's hand once more. "I'll send these down to the pharmacist and all the drugs she needs will be ready when she leaves, as well as instructions on how to take care of her. The nurse back in the lobby will have you sign some forms for us."

After the doctor had left, Squall remained at Yuffie's side. She smiled at him, and while she was still angry with the man, she loved him dearly. This was shown through her eyes as she gazed into his sapphire orbs. His eyes misted over in tears.

_Sweet revelation  
__That look in your eyes  
__Your touch in the night_  
_I find the sweetest salvation  
__In your arms, baby_

"Kiss me?" Yuffie asked innocently. Squall nodded solemnly, a gentle look in his eyes. He bent over her slowly, and his lips met hers oh-so softly. It was a sweet, slow, innocent kiss, and it left them wanting nothing. She brushed a tear from his cheek.

Yuffie yawned loudly. "You need to sleep, Yuffs. You've had a really big day," Squall murmured. She laughed slightly and nodded. Squall turned to leave, but she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Stay with me until I go to sleep?" Yuffie pleaded. Squall smiled and pulled up a chair, sitting there with her. She smiled and drifted off to sleep easily. Her face was angelic in the light, and he kissed her on the forehead before standing and leaving the room.

_You are  
__You're some kind of miracle  
__You are  
__You're a miracle to me_

* * *

_Fine_


End file.
